‘Can the Cabinet Member for Resources state whether immediate action is being taken to end months of roadworks on Blue Street, Carmarthen, after businesses have been hit financially by the disruption, and will the Council engage with affected businesses to discuss compensation for loss of business?’
Minutes:
‘Can the Cabinet Member for Resources state whether immediate action is being taken to end months of roadworks on Blue Street, Carmarthen, after businesses have been hit financially by the disruption, and will the Council engage with affected businesses to discuss compensation for loss of business’
Response by Councillor Alun Lenny – Cabinet Member for Resources:-
I’m very grateful to Councillor James for the opportunity to provide an update on the plan to improve Carmarthen bus station, which includes Blue Street, a scheme enabled through Welsh Government Support as part of its strategy to improve public transport infrastructure. The scheme will comply with the new transport strategy that sets out different ways to support public transport. It prioritises passengers and climate change as Lee Waters, MS Deputy Minister for climate change explained Last Wednesday. Once the work is finished, and I’ll get to that in a moment, Carmarthen bus station will be a much more welcoming, engaging and safe place for passengers, including larger bus shelters in Blue Street with electronic boards providing bus times, as there are at railway stations. The work has already made Blue Street a more attractive street with new resurfacing of the pavements and safer places for pedestrians to cross the road. It will also be a much better link between the railway station and the Town. I must acknowledge that the development has not been without its difficulties and I fully appreciate that a few shops in Blue Street say it has adversely affected business. Unfortunately, the work was hampered due to late responses from utility providers. In other words, companies that could have wires or pipes underground. Work was also suspended between mid-November and early January so as not to disrupt local businesses over the Christmas period. Free parking was also provided in Blue Street car park during that period in order to alleviate the impact on businesses. It’s true there had been some barriers to some businesses entrances for inevitable reasons but, that was probably only for a few hours and the contractor endeavoured to offer interim entrances to customers. Work on the pavement outside the shops has now been finished for a couple of weeks and it looks excellent and the work resurfacing the street itself will begin tonight. The work will take place overnight for four nights, weather permitting. Work will then continue to make significant improvements inside the existing bus station area which is away from the street. That will come to an end this spring. Carmarthen Town will then have a top class bus station and that should attract more passengers to Blue Street for the benefit of the shops there and, indeed, the town itself.
Turning briefly to the second part of the question, namely, the enquiry about compensation, there is no compensation scheme within the Non Domestic Rates system but, if individual businesses can prove they have suffered financial hardship it is possible that the Council could take that into account under what is called Section 13A. Officers would need to see bank accounts etc as evidence that the hardship was a direct result of the development work. But, I am confident that the owners of the shops in Blue Street will soon see that the current development, although temporarily troublesome creates a more thriving future for the businesses.
Thanks again for the question
Supplementary Question by Councillor Rob James:-
Can I thank the Cabinet member for that very detailed information. I’m sure as a local member he has also been contacted by said businesses regarding some of the disruption. Obviously, we welcome the development, it’s just obviously, some of the disruption may be caused on some of the businesses. It’s important that you highlighted Section 13A. Thank you for that.
Would you meet with myself and businesses that are affected, with Officers, to investigate whether there is opportunity for said businesses to actually apply under Section 13A for that remuneration sorry, compensation, for the disruption. Thankyou
Response by Councillor Alun Lenny – Cabinet Member for Resources
That would be subject to legal clearance I believe by our officers but, I will certainly consider that, if that is acceptable. Thank you